City of Tehachapi

2015Annual ReportNavigating Our Future

Mapping Out Tehachapi’s Growth with Purpose

City of Tehachapi | (661) 822-2200115 South Robinson Street | Tehachapi

Dear Community Partner,Tehachapi turned 106 years old in the year 2015 and when we look back over the years, what a journey it’s been. We’ve climbed up metaphorical mountains with the first installation of municipal streetlights in 1915 and plunged back into canyons with events like the devastating 1952 earthquake. We’ve sped across vast stretches of nothingness with decades of nearly non-existent growth only to be rushed into a busy, growing, urban metropolis like the boom years of the early 2000’s.

This is a common issue. Communities often take strange and unpredictable journeys. I’d venture to guess that residents of Palo Alto in the 1960’s never foresaw the kind of explosive growth that followed the technological revolution of the 1990’s. It’s what communities so often experience: long stable stretches of measured growth, punctuated by intense and rapid change. So how do we manage our way through an ever changing, and often unpredictable landscape?

It requires a clear destination in mind, and a good set of directions.

Over the past several years we’ve been steadily updating our road map. It started with a comprehensive and groundbreaking new General Plan that places maintaining our small mountain town feel as its highest priority for the future. Over the past year, we’ve completed our new zoning code that turns the General Plan into an easy to follow set of development guidelines.

This effort to prepare our community for its journey into the future is led by our Development Services Department (page 4). They oversee all community planning, building inspection, engineering, and capital project execution.

While our planning and development team has done a great job preparing the City for our own journey, your own expedition through life in Tehachapi might benefit from a little help. For that, the place to start is with our Administrative Department (page 2).

Every good road trip needs a good road, clean water to drink, and functioning rest and recreation areas and that’s the job of our Public Works Department (page 6).

Staying safe on the road is one of our highest priorities and we’re investing in public safety through our strong Police Department (page 8).

When you get to your destination, you need to still have money to spend. Careful bookkeeping and financial management allows you to enjoy your journey even more and that is the work of our Finance Department (page 3).

Unlike a typical trip, our voyage is never really finished. Each year is another stretch of our perpetual journey toward community excellence. Despite a few potholes along the way, we covered a lot of ground in 2015 that we’ve highlighted in this report. I hope you enjoy the journey with us and can appreciate the long hours behind the wheel as much as the exciting stops along the way.

Sincerely,

Greg Garrett City Manager

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C I T Y O F

Greg Garrett, City Manager

Chris Kirk, Asst. City Manager

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Administering ServiceA Big Part of Our Success Lies in Our Frontline Staff

The front office staff acts as the face of City Hall – acting as a direct link between the City’s residents and their government and as a direct expression of our City’s philosophies, attitude, and values. We help customers reach their destinations by facilitating passports, processing water bills and directing concerns. The front office also includes the City Clerks department which serves as the local historian and ensures that the decision-making process is transparent to the public; complies with federal, state and local regulations; and is properly recorded. As we move into the future the department continues to shift towards electronic document recording to allow for improved customer service and greater transparency.

No other office in municipal service has so many contacts. It serves the Mayor, the City Council, the City Manager, and all administrative departments, without exception. All of them call upon it, almost daily, for some service or information. Its work is not spectacular, but it demands versatility, alertness, accuracy, and no end of patience. The public may not realize how many loose ends of city administration this office pulls together.

...a 47% Increase880Passportswere issued in 2015

Greg Garrett, City Manager

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2014-2015 Expenditure Budget

General $1,004,603 15.7%

Finance 210,197 3.3%

Public Works 471,220 7.4%

Landscape Service 111,152 1.7%

Construction 149,056 2.3%

Planning/Comm. Dev 481,409 7.5%

Fire Department 84,372 1.3%

Information Technology 120,853 1.9%

Engineering 591,072 9.3%

Police 3,075,554 48.2%

City Council 14,088 0.2%

City Clerk 58,540 0.9%

Treasurer 2,244 0.04%

Railroad Depot 11,582 0.2%

6,385,942 100.0%

A Sound Financial StoryStrong Reserves and a Balanced Budget

2014-2015 General Fund Revenue

Sales Tax $2,527,414 37%

Vehicle License Fee 1,116,987 16.4%

Property Tax 871,822 12.8%

Transient Occupancy Tax 683,826 10%

Project Mngmt Service 343,880 5%

Service/Admin Charge 250,630 3.7%

Franchise Tax 210,647 3.1%

Other Revenue 823,440 12.1%

6,828,646 100.0%

Whether we are processing invoices for our customers, paying vendors, providing transit service or supporting other departments for accounting and personnel needs, the goal of the Finance Department is to provide you with timely accurate financial services and proactive support while building positive relationships.

Prudent fiscal planning is of utmost importance to us to safeguard our tax payers’ investment. Because our tax payers care and give us their trust, we put our very best effort into making their investments count.

*Plus an additional $403,654 Property Tax Fire Fund.

Greg Garrett, City Manager

*

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In 2015, the number of housing permits issued increased by 166%

Right: Steady work is underway on the Tehachapi Boulevard Improvements Project – Phase III set to be completed in Winter of this year. The project will boast new sidewalk, street lights, and street trees on Tehachapi Boulevard from Synder Avenue to Dennison Road. Work will also include the widening of the intersection of Tehachapi Boulevard and Dennison Road which should result in substantial improvements to traffic operations in this location.

Left: With student safety a high priority, we relocated the Tompkins Elementary student drop-off area to Pinon Street. This project was funded by the Tehachapi Unified School District.

Left: New home construction in Tehachapi is underway! Three home builders are active in the City at this time: Jed Francis, Tarina Homes, and Forza Construction. Homes of all sizes and types are being offered from the starter home for the young family to the generously appointed retirement home.

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Development ServicesKeeping our Community Growing in the Right Direction

Capital Projects Starting in 2016Safe Routes to School Gap Closure Project – ATP Grant $900,000

Valley Boulevard Bikeway Project – ATP Grant $1,300,000

Tehachapi Blvd Bike Path Dennison to the Summit – TDA Grant $585,000

Motocross Park – State Parks OHV Grant $1,400,000

Snyder Well Intertie Project – IRWMP Grant Funding $653,000

Recycled Water Pump Station Project – Sewer and Water Funds $406,000

SW Diagonal Taxiway Project – FAA Grant $960,000

East Tehachapi Blvd – HSIP $1,700,000

Police Dispatch $500,000

Freedom Plaza & Visitor Center – RDA, CDBG & Lehigh Cement $750,000

$9,154,000

The Development Services Department sets the bar. Beginning July 2015, the Planning, Building, and Engineering departments were combined under one umbrella. This structural change allows us to provide improved assistance to private development, businesses, and the residents of Tehachapi.

We strive to raise the quality of our built environment by maintaining clear, equitable policies and procedures. We have the pleasure of helping to shepherd Tehachapi into the future.

There are anadditional

in capital projects already in the queue for 2016-2017 with secured funding.These include Capital Hills Parkway Reconstruction, Tehachapi Rail Corridor Improvement, Downtown Park and Ride, East Tehachapi Lift Station, Tucker Road Rehab and Industrial Parkway Extension.

$7.5Million

Greg Garrett, City Manager

Greg Garrett, City Manager

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Public WorksInvesting in Sound Infrastructure and Quality of Life

The City of Tehachapi Public Works Department is a team of dedicated staff that maintain our water systems, waste water treatment plant, all City roads, facility maintenance for all our real estate holdings and landscaping of all City property including street medians and intersections.

The priority and frequency of projects and ongoing maintenance is scheduled based not only on need and budget but by season as well. These tasks are performed by an incredibly well-trained staff. In fact, the majority of the Public Works Department staff have worked for the city more than 10 years. This low turnover rate allows them to focus on preventative maintenance rather than constantly training new employees.

We also strive to be a consistent and dependable department within the City. We are committed to training our employees to ensure they are in a safe working environment and always cross-training employees for better coverage.

The City of Tehachapi is currently applying for California Off-Highway Vehicle funds to complete Phase II of the Motocross facility located at the Tehachapi Municipal Airport. Phase II will consist of treating our secondary waste water to be used for dust control at the MX facility. This project will eliminate the use of potable water as dust control.

H Street Cap & Seel Project

Committed to conserving water we repaired over

in 2015

170Water Leaks

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Above & Right: This summer we removed sod on Mill Street medians and replaced it with artificial turf. This update not only helped to conserve water but lowered ongoing maintenance all while keeping the area welcoming and attractive.

Above: “H” Street cape seal project completed - see the finished project on the previous page.

Right: Trees were replaced along Tehachapi Blvd. near Railroad Depot and in front of the Tehachapi Village Marketplace.

1/3The City of Tehachapiis in the top

in the State for conserving water.

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Above: The Tehachapi Police Department took delivery of 3 new patrol vehicles obtained through Kieffe and Sons Ford in Mojave. The 2016 Ford Explorer Police Interceptor’s were delivered fully equipped with emergency equipment packages, police radios, and mobile computers. The graphics for the new vehicles were designed and installed locally by Mercury Graphics.

Left: Mayor Susan Wiggins presented a Certificate of Recognition to the Tehachapi Police Explorers for their outstanding assistance at the festivities on the 4th of July where the Police Explorers stepped in and worked in excess of 14 hours, filling departmental staffing shortages for the Tehachapi Police Department.

We are delighted to welcome six new police officers and a Reserve Lieutenant to our Department and our community.

Above: (Pictured Left to Right) Officer William “Drew” Funderburk, Officer Alejandro “Alex” Barajas, Officer Jonathan Vielma, Officer Elizabeth Alvarez, and Officer Bruce Medina.

Right: Officer Jared McCombs was sworn in early December, 2015.

Below Left: Reserve Lieutenant, Darrel Brown also joined the force as a much needed Public Information Officer and Community Liason.

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Police DepartmentSafety Remains a Top Priority in Tehachapi

The Tehachapi Police Department strives to serve the residents of Tehachapi in the most professional, effective, courteous, and progressive manner possible. This will be accomplished while maintaining a reputation of being a law enforcement agency that is sincerely concerned about the citizens we serve.

We have made significant progress toward improving the efficiency of our organization over the past year with the addition of mobile computers in our patrol cars, an on-line reporting system for citizens, and a crime mapping program to assist with crime analysis.

We have welcomed six new police officers into our Department who will be instrumental in achieving our most fundamental goal of reducing crime. Working together with the community, we will continue to make Tehachapi a safe place to live.

Shop with a Cop for ChristmasBelow: A great way to give to the kids in our community. Local law enforcement officers were paired up with children from Tehachapi. Each were given $100 to buy gifts and then all were treated to a complementary dinner at Big Papa’s.

photo by Nick Smirnoff

Greg Garrett, City Manager

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A Focus on Economic DevelopmentCity Manager, Greg Garrett, members of our City Council and Economic Development Council meet with local business teams to see how we can assist in continued growth.

Promoting Healthy Business Growth

A Network of Support

Hub of the CommunityFacilitating Growth Through Strong Networks

Our economy is growing and more consumers are shopping locally. Our Retail Leakage (the amount residents spend outside our community or online) has been reduced by 24%* over the recent years and new businesses that appreciate our lifestyle are continuing to show interest in locating or expanding in Tehachapi.

We have strong relationships with the local business associations and support the work of our Chamber of Commerce, Economic Development Council and Tourism Commission. That support is mutual in that they also assist us in uncovering the needs of local business owners.

C I T Y O F

*Retail leakage was reduced from $84 million to $64 million according to the Walmart Study compared to current Derrigo Studies.

Local Sales Growth5 Year Total Sales Growth 46%

Apparel Stores 74%

Dining & Beverage 23%

10 Year Total Sales Growth 110%

Apparel Stores 716%

Dining & Beverage 45%

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Tehachapi GranFondo enjoyed a 40% increase in participation

Community partnerships lead to new growth.Above: New entrance to Rodeo Grounds. Left: Ground breaking on Visitor Center. Both projects in partnerships with local non-profits.

Partnering for our Quality of Life

Supported by Industry

Hub of the CommunityFacilitating Growth Through Strong Networks

Businesses, such as Kaiser Permanente, Lehigh Cement and World Wind & Solar appreciate our community and the residents who comprise it. They continue to give back to Tehachapi through generous donations and sponsorships.

The City continues to partner with local non-profits who work tirelessly to present opportunities to enjoy our area. Without these partnerships we would lack in museums, rodeos, live theatre, the senior center, local events and much more.

C I T Y O F

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Tehachapi Hospital opening Fall 2016

Sun Select doubles it’s size to 64 acres

Wind Turbine Techs lead in occupation growth

Mining remains strong across industries

A Strong & Diverse EconomyLooking Locally, Regionally and Beyond

GREATER AREALOCALLY

photo by Tina Forde-Cunningham

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Tehachapi Hospital opening Fall 2016

Northrop Grumman lands bomber contract anticipating 1,500 new jobs

Visitor spending increased to $104 million in 2014 – a 20% increase over 2012

Tehachapi is a wonderfully unique place, not just environmentally but economically. Without any large private sector employers in the City, we have the opportunity to increase wealth and opportunity in our community by leveraging our outstanding quality of life. With our beautiful environment, our central California location, great schools, elevating healthcare, and an entrepreneurial spirit, Tehachapi’s lifestyle is attracting new investment from individuals, families and businesses every day.

During 2015, Tehachapi’s economy continued to climb, with new home building numbers more than doubling those of 2014. Many of those new homes are being filled by employees from growing companies in the City and in our region, who choose to call Tehachapi home because of our elevated lifestyle.

One local company that experienced incredible success in 2015 is World Wind and Solar. Owned by local residents, WWS was named Most Outstanding Business in the State by California State University Bakersfield and the University of Merced Small Business Development Center. We hope 2016 will be another great year for them in the City of Tehachapi with the announcement by the Bureau of Labor Statistics that Wind Turbine Techs are the fastest growing occupation in the country.

But it’s not just local companies that are improving Tehachapi’s economy. Because of our central location in the region, and our excellent quality of life, a majority of the employees working in leading edge companies to the east, like Scaled Composites or The Spaceship Company, call Tehachapi home. Employees there and at other major mining, aerospace, and alternative energy companies are making their investment in Tehachapi by sending their children to school, purchasing homes, enjoying our incredible local restaurants, and shopping in our beautifully revitalized downtown.

The City’s lifestyle driven economy will only improve in the coming year because of the major investments being made in healthcare. With the opening of a new Kaiser Permanente facility, a Sanderling Dialysis Center, and a new $85 million hospital under construction, local healthcare access and jobs are also on the rise. The new Tehachapi Hospital will create at least 40 new jobs in one of the fastest growing industry sectors in the US. In fact, 4 of the top 5 fastest growing occupations in the country are healthcare related and Tehachapi appears to be following that trend.

REGIONALLYGREATER AREA

Celebrating Our StaffLongterm Staff Provides Stability in Our Services

Our Board of DirectorsStrong Council and Active Governance

Just as a for-profit corporation has a board of directors that provide direction and leadership, municipalities such as the City of Tehachapi, have Councils. Comprised of members of the community, these elected councilmembers are the visionaries behind our great City. They are the voice of our community, provide a high level of fiscal responsibility and represent you, the residents of Tehachapi.

This year we recognize members of the City staff who have reached incredible milestones with us. Below are those whom have reached 10 years of service or more.

10+

Years15+

Years

30+

Years

20+

Years

Top Row: Greg Garrett, Wyatt Misiura, Jason Parks

Bottom Row: Mike Pera, Marcia Smith & Larry Wiggins

Top Row: Christie Copus & Roxanne Davis

Bottom Row: R Dale Hamon

Perrin Cowan

Top Row: Tom Brown & Hannah Chung

Bottom Row: Annamarie Johnson & Tony Macias

Mayor, Susan Wiggins

Mayor Pro-Tem, Kim Nixon

Councilmember, Phil Smith

Councilmember, Ed Grimes

Councilmember, Dennis Wahlstrom

C I T Y O F